The worst moment following Ireland

[soylent green]

I was in Belgium on that miserable night for Eoin Hand. The trend continues. We don't do away wins and concede late goals. The picture of Eoin and Terry Conroy, with their heads in their hands, still remains with me to this day.

RTE used that image on one of their recent trailers with the shocked bench after the goal. Lots of facial hair and furry Ireland green tracksuits.

[lopez]

...BTW, I totally disagree with you lopez. Hand was just unlucky. I remember another dodgy goal being scored by Bulgaria (in Sofia in '79, I think). He put a good team together, the core of which formed a large part of Charlton's team in 86-88. Jack had the luck (Gary McKay's goal!), Eoin didn't. The success Hand very nearly had in '82 has been overshadowed by the Charlton years.

I've had this argument before so I don't want to go over it again as it's taking it off thread. Hand was very, VERY, unlucky in 1982. Charlton was very, VERY, lucky in 1987. However it has always been my opinion, born out by how the team's performance got steadily worse over the following four years that rather than Charlton inherited a good side from Hand, Hand got a good side from Giles (Kelly was manager for just one game). Hand to me was out of his depth. A young inexperienced LoI manager who got the job because Kelly resigned and Mulligan had messed up his chance by having thrown a cake at an FAI official a few years ago on a coach.

However, my animosity to Hand is clouded. I met him in once, in Jaffa while the Irish team were training in 1984, and I found him to be the most f*cking rudest c*nt I've ever met in football either before or since.